I was toying with putting together a top 5 or top 10 posts of the year post.

But then I looked up from my computer screen at Kelly & Ryan on my television screen. And they were doing a show showing their top moments (or maybe it was favorite moments) from the past year. And it hit me …

the only people who enjoy a show featuring the show’s top moments from the past year are the people working on the show.

And, yes, I know I’m still clinging to Christmas. And, yes, I know I need to move on …

but it’s so hard to do when all I see for the next three months is a vast, cold, windy, overcast winter.

With nary a twinkle light in sight. 😉

And this Christmas was an especially merry one. As I’ve shared before.

Oh, and the make this Christmas even more magical was the snow. On Christmas Eve day! Blanketing the city in white …

and making Christmas morning just that much more magical.

This is Christmas tree #3.

This the last tree to go up. Waited for someone to return from college.

This was the last tree to get decorated. I added the red balls and ribbon … and waited on college student and high school junior to add the assorted decorations. This happened the eve before Christmas eve.

This tree has no rhyme or reason. No theme. No color story. Just a mishmash of ornaments accumulated over the years. Some I bought early on before kids. Some the kids buy during their annual pilgrimage to the Kristkindlemarket with their aunt. Some given as stocking stuffers from Santa over the years.

And I’m not even counting all the ornaments that did not make their way onto the tree.

We all clearly have our favorites.

Molly has a strong kinship with this lady. And always reserves a branch so she will hang front and center.

Because, once upon a (long) time (ago), it seemed like House Hunters made up 90% of programming on HGTV. Well, at least during the daytime hours …

hours and hours of House Hunters reruns.

This was a time before all the House Hunters spin-offs. Before Tiny House Hunters. And Beach House Hunters. And Log Cabin House Hunters. And Lake House House Hunters. And expanded hour-long House Hunters Renovations. And International House Hunters (which, by the by, I still tune in to when they are hunting in Europe).

But regardless of location or size or beach front views (back then and now) there always seems to be similar “demands” or “must haves” or “deal breakers.”

The number of bathrooms. The double vanity. The master en suite. And …

drum roll please …

the bathtub.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge bathtub fan. Sure, they’re important if you have little kids (have you ever tried to give a toddler a shower? Trust me, not fun). But the whole soaking in a hot tub with a book and glass of wine scenario eludes me …

Not sure why? But somehow water and books and wine stresses me out. The whole juggling the book and wine and trying not to drop either in the hot tub of bubble-filled water causes me anxiety.

The clear opposite of relaxing.

But my daughter is a bath fan.

A huge bath fan.

And in her future house hunting, I’m pretty sure a bathtub will be on her “deal breaker” list. 🙂

So today’s post and project is in celebration of my bath-loving daughter …

And it’s not forced merriment (which I’ve been guilty of in the past). Or self-induced merriment brought on with a huge diet of Christmas movies and music. Nope. This year it’s my heart-is-full-of-merriment merry.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this year is so extra merry for me?

Honestly, 2017 wasn’t exactly a merry year. (And, honestly, it’s not my unmerry story to tell). All I can say is the year started off troubled. Six months in things were headed for a very dark place. It wasn’t until the fall that things started to turn around.

I’ve been having cheesy Hallmark/Lifetime/Netflix Christmas-movie-filled days this month.

It started innocently enough. As a backdrop as I decorated the house …

you know, to keep my holiday spirits up as I wish and hope and pray for snow.

And now? Well, now it’s devolved into something much more … um … sinister?

I must admit that, as the Hallmark/Lifetime/Netflix Christmas-movie-filled days stacked up, I started to take a small bit of pleasure in watching my teen daughter squirm with discomfort as the cheese factor is turned up.

Like during the awkward kisses.

And (bonus points) when the lead male actor serenades the lead female actor.

I didn’t seal. Not sure what that would do to the Epsom salt? Admittedly, they are a bit messy …

but then again, aren’t most holiday decorations messy? 🙂

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P.S. I’m going to share a list of my favorite super cheesy Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies (so far) this December. I mean, there is still 17 days to go in the 25 days of Christmas after all so this list just might grow … 🙂

1 – Angry Angel – a new, original Lifetime movie and my daughter begrudgingly agreed this is a winner (okay, winner among the Christmas cheese). Oh, and it was serenade-free.

2 – Holiday in Handcuffs – who can beat the combo of Melissa Joan Hart & Marion Lopez? The premise is ridiculous but they have great chemistry.

With the exception of a single day in this short month where we stuff our collective faces with turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and apple pie, November might be my most hated month …

Well, come to think of it, February is no picnic either. Or January. Or March.

Okay, maybe November isn’t my most hated month. But it’s definitely up there in the top 3. 🙂

Perhaps my ire against November has to do with it being the first full month to usher in the cold. And winter. Where I have to trade in my cute Sperry sneakers for Uggs. And cardigans for winter coats.

Or perhaps my ire against November is the mud.

All. The. Mud.

The air temperatures are chill. But not chill enough to freeze the ground. Top it off with one rainy day after another and …

In my teens and early 20’s I worked at a jewelry store. In the Paramus Park mall. It was fancy and sparkly and felt oh so glamorous …

especially after my short stint working in the food court at the very same mall. At a Greek fast food place where, at the innocent age of 16, I had my first #metoo moment.

But that’s a post for another day.

Today it’s all about the fancy and sparkly and glamorous … 🙂

Now, I never had much use for jewelry before I started working at a jewelry store. And then, suddenly, I couldn’t live without those gems!

Rubies and diamonds and sapphires, oh my.

During the down times (read: the 11 months of the year that did not contain Christmas) we would wile away our time trying on the jewels.

Rubies and diamonds and sapphires, oh my.

I think it’s fair to say that a quarter of each pay went back into my employer’s coffers. 😉

Funny how frequent exposure to something (like jewels) can turn you into a jewel fan.

So when I ventured into the blogging world (a venture that took place 40 years after I first stepped foot in that fancy and sparkly and glamorous jewelry store) all of sudden I couldn’t live without board and batten walls …

and burlap …

and painted & distressed furniture …

and white painted kitchen cabinets …

and mason jars …

and …

and …

you get the idea.

Without the influence of all those other bloggers in my new world, I would probably be sitting here on a red couch looking at my red painted wall surrounded by red and green and purple jewel-toned rugs and pillows.

However, there is one trend …

though, not sure I can call it a trend …

let’s call it an ‘idea’ …

and ‘idea’ I arrived at 100% my own. It’s an idea I arrived at during my first Christmas in this house. Twenty-two years ago …

I’m going to equate each season of the year with a sense. Not scent. Sense. Human sense like taste, touch, smell, etc.

I know, crazy.

And yes, I do realize we have five senses vs. four seasons. But in the spirit of Tim Gunn, “I’ll make it work.”

Let’s start with winter. Which I’m assigning taste. I mean, there are Christmas dinners and candy canes and homemade cookies. Not to mention Valentine’s Day chocolates, Super Bowl party fare and St. Patty’s day corned beef and cabbage to consume. It’s a season of tasty morsels …

and expanding waistlines. 😉

Which brings us to Spring. And sight.

Yes, there will be the sight of what we look like after winter sweaters come off and we get to see the months of tasty morsel damage. But there’s also the sight of rejuvenation and growth as flowers burst through the soil and foliage returns to the trees. A true sight to behold.

Summer is all about touch. The touch of the sun on our skin. The touch and feel of sand between our toes. The cooling touch on our skin when we jump in the water.

But Summer is also about hearing. Throwing open the windows to the sounds of children playing and birds calling and cicadas cicada’ing. Not to mention waves crashing.

And then there’s fall …

and smell.

The sweet, delicious, decadent smells of fall. It’s all about the pumpkin and cinnamon and chestnut and spice.

Can you smell it?

I can.

Well, I can smell it because Chesapeake Bay Candle sent me their Heritage Collection of fall scents to sample.

And smell.

But before we talk smell can we talk packaging?

I’m inspired by the clean, rustic, modern simplicity of the design: frosted glass, wood lids and twine loop pulls. I especially love that each soy blend candle is natural in color and the frosted glass jars they’re housed in are reminiscent of ocean glass. Overall, a perfect fit with my coastal-inspired home design style … from a company that gets it’s inspiration from Maryland’s idyllic shoreline.

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